Aqua Aerobic Exercises for Beginners

Stephen Taylor

Video transcription

Hi, I'm Stephen Taylor, personal trainer and aquatics instructor at the Wellness Center at Baptist Hospital in Nashville. We're going to talk about aquatics exercises for beginners. The materials you will need for this activity include a swimming pool. When we talk about a beginner to aquatics exercise, what we're really talking about is somebody who has either an injury or has had a surgery or someone who is very deconditioned and starting exercising in a very gentle format. My goal for this piece is to alleviate any fears that you have about participating in water aerobics. First of all when you attend a water aerobics class, you are not expected to keep up with the more advanced people in the class. Some of those participants may have been doing water aerobics for many years. Just start where you're at and try to pick up the exercises as best as you can. For most of the exercises that will be included in a water aerobics class, there are various alternatives that are easier or harder depending on the ability level of the person. Let's take an example in this case. Let's say you are doing water exercises that involve the noodle. There are different thicknesses and resistance levels for the noodle. You can use a smaller or lighter noodle rather than the firmer and more buoyant noodle. You may also use the water dumbbells and again there is usually a selection of various difficulty levels so you can start with the easier or more gentle exercise alternatives. In conclusion, it's important to keep in mind if you need some exercise and you haven't been exercising, water aerobics may be one of the best options available to you. The impact is very gentle and it's a good way to get your body moving again.